Posted on 03/18/2003 4:06:33 AM PST by dmcg_98
What Gaul! 27 February 2003
The French President's words in Brussels have caused the most serious friction for years in Paris-Warsaw relations and the largest eruption of anti-French comments in Poland.
At a press conference following the European Union's extraordinary summit devoted to the Iraq crisis Feb. 17, Jacques Chirac criticized the pro-American policy pursued by Central European EU candidate countries. "They lost a good opportunity to be quiet... they acted somewhat recklessly, did not demonstrate good manners... their behavior was infantile," said Chirac, adding that this might obstruct the ratification of the Accession Treaty, as "European public opinion" in the countries of the Fifteen looks askance at this kind of policy.
Delegations from the countries attacked by Chirac were not present at the summit in Brussels, as France and Germany did not agree to invite EU candidate states, despite proposals put forward by, among others, Great Britain and Spain. The criticism voiced by Chirac was caused first of all by the "Letter of Eight," signed Jan. 29 by prime ministers of the following five EU countries: Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain and Italy, and of three EU candidate countries: Poland, Slovakia and Hungary; one day later, the letter was also signed by retiring Czech President Vaclav Havel. The letter, a declaration of solidarity with Washington's policy, triggered many sharply critical comments both in France and Germany. "When you are in the family, you have more rights," said Chirac, when the fact was brought to his attention that the heads of governments of five EU countries also signed the letter. On the following day in Warsaw, French Defense Minister Michelle Alliot-Marie used the same rhetoric, comparing the candidate countries to a "daughter-in-law, only about to enter the family."
"In Europe, there are no better ones and worse ones; there are no children, or states too immature for partnership," said Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs W³odzimierz Cimoszewicz in Brussels Feb. 18, stressing that the idea of certain countries having more of a say is unacceptable.
Cimoszewicz's response was one of the mildest of those provoked in Poland. A majority of politicians and commentators reserved much sharper criticism for Chirac. The French president's earlier controversial statements were cited, including from Moscow last year, when Chirac, without prior consultation with any of the states concerned, reassured President Vladimir Putin that in the future the newly admitted EU member countries-or Poland and Lithuania-would not introduce visas for Russian citizens living in Kaliningrad district. It was also remembered that France was partly responsible for the Polish state finding itself in the Soviet camp for half a century in the wake of World War II. Charles de Gaulle was the first among the leaders of Western superpowers to officially recognize Boles³aw Bierut's Moscow-installed government, thus substantially helping Joseph Stalin in his political objective vis-á-vis Poland.
"France is not a pacifist country... it loves war-provided it is the country that is heading it," said Marek Siwiec, the head of presidential National Security Office (BBN), commenting on Paris's stance on the Iraq crisis.
Voicing their feelings concerning Chirac's threats over Poland's accession to the EU, both Polish Chief Negotiator Jan Truszczyñski and Minister for European Integration Danuta Hübner reacted calmly, expressing the hope that these words were effected by emotion. Hübner also pointed out that the content of the "Letter of Eight" did not conflict with the decisions made earlier in Brussels in discussions over EU foreign policy.
Politicians from other countries aspiring to the EU also voiced their criticism of Chirac. Slovak Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda, a signatory of the "Letter of Eight," said that his country was fully entitled to participate in formulating a common European policy. Deputy Foreign Minister of Bulgaria Lubomir Ivanov said that Chirac's words were yet another form of pressure exerted on Central European countries by Paris. Romania's President Ion Iliescu described Chirac's words as "completely out of line."
Some Western European politicians described Chirac's behavior in an unambiguously critical manner. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who had earlier strove in vain to invite representatives of EU candidate countries to the Brussels summit, said that endeavoring to deprive any state of its voice is a serious political mistake. European Parliament President Pat Cox shared Blair's opinion. Chirac's words were received most bluntly by Chris Patten, EU commissioner for external contacts, who said that "the European Union is no Warsaw Pact."
My grandfather was a civil engineer during WWII. When he refused to help rebuild a railroad bridge that had been blown up by the resistance, Nazis came to my father's house, took my grandfather away, and shot him.
Overall, my father lost both parents and a brother during the war. His sister survived, but lived the best years of her life under a repressive communist regime. He joined up with a Polish regiment organized by the British and ended up in England after the war. He told me that he came to the US because he believed that the US was the only country that would fight the communists. He thought the British would eventually cave.
Needless to say, he taught me everything I ever needed to know about socialists and communists. It helped me survive the liberal crap they shoveled me in government school.
LOL! Is that the one that's the equivalent of a Fiat Panda? (which is the equivalent of an old Honda Civic with a lawnmower engine). I saw one carrying five or six people scaling a mountain on the Czech border zipping along at about 10 mph. They'd get passed by German tourists driving in Mercedes' at about 100 mph as horse drawn hay wagons crossed the road.
Hopefully they've begun enforcing their traffic laws since I was there in the early 90s.
That's baseless and disgusting.
All is well with the world - the latest polls show the British public is on side for the war, Blair won with a crushing majority in the Commons. As such, your nonsense means absolutely nothing to me now. Chirac has failed in his attempt to dislodge Blair.
Ivan
How do you figure?
To credit the EU with the peace Europe has enjoyed since WW2 is to commit the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy. Japan and South Korea, former enemies, have enjoyed peace since WW2 without political union. The real reason for peace is that Europe is no longer plagued with tryannical dictators, and it is rich. I do not know of a single example of modern, devloped democratic countries with commercial ties going to war with one another.
All the 20th century wars in Europe were conflicts between free and despotic countries.
Does not the fact that the EU is destroying your country's soveriegnty bother you? Does it not bother you that the EU is turning into a vast superstate imposing socialism on all member states? Does it not bother you that the EU is begining to chip away at cherished freedoms such as that of the press?
You don't need political union to have free trade, peace, or commercial ties. Just look at the US and Canada.
As I tell my relatives who still live in Poland, the EU is the new Soviet Union. Stay out of it!
You have the right to be disgusted by it but calling it baseless is like telling me that there is no such thing as gravity.
Those were the days. 8- )
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